Empire Builder 1: Breed, Populate, Conquer by Dante King (free e books to read online txt) 📕

“I won’t be long.” Melody darted off.

After a little more exploration, Ben found he was able to monitor Melody’s progress. The panel gave access to the equivalent of CCTV, covering every room in the tower. It provided sound as well.

Perfect.

Ben didn’t waste a moment putting that to use. He navigated to the dining hall in the upper levels. The three mages popped into view on the large display panel, surrounded by their foot soldiers. The whole party was seated around an enormous table, waiting for dinner. A large chandelier lit the room from above. Several sideboards furnished the walls of the room, containing silverware and other dishes.

Judging by Adremor’s expansive gestures, he had certainly imbibed a good deal of Ben’s wine. But his voice wasn’t slurred—he either had a high tolerance, or was very good at keeping himself in check.

Would magic allow them to recover from any adverse effects from alcohol more quickly? If so, Ben couldn’t assume that booze would cause them to make mistakes or operate their spells with less effectiveness. He had to assume that they were fully capable adversaries, and not to be underestimated in any way.

Ben flicked through a few more rooms. Some of them were still blacked out. He found the bedrooms the nymphs had chosen for themselves on the upper levels. He was also able to view the cellars and other storerooms.

As he was sorting through the rooms, he stumbled on what appeared to be a tiny bathroom. Sir Gallant the Younger was sitting on a small stone toilet.

It appeared to have been designed for someone his size. Ben supposed he had had to take account of diversity in the building design. He wondered what sort of facilities would be prepared for other races of creatures. But that was something to be sorted out later.

For now, an idea came to mind for how he could simultaneously torment the little statue and get used to the building controls.

He checked the menus for controls available. Next to the feed of Sir Gallant’s small bathroom was a description, and a list of options. Ben put his finger and deactivated lights.

“Hey!” a little stony voice squeaked out of the speakers. “What are you doing? Turn that back on!”

Ben considered replying. A rune representing sound showed up beside the display, suggesting Ben could activate it and speak back. He decided against it however, as it might be a bit strange talking to the knight while he was in the middle of whatever bathroom business a tiny knight might get up to.

And that brought to mind the question of how a small statue could even have a bowel movement, but that was a question Ben decided was better left for later—or never. Ben flicked the light back on with a grin.

He switched the display to the nearby hallways. It wasn’t long before he saw Melody finding the statue and escorting him toward the control room.

“You called for me?” Sir Gallant the Younger appeared a few minutes later, perched on Melody’s shoulder.

“I did,” Ben said. “I need your help with summoning the monsters.”

“Very well, I shall need a vantage point to study the controls. Melody, perhaps you could stand in front of the panel? I can sit between your very large breasts, they would make an ideal seat.”

Ben swatted a hand at the statue but missed as he ducked the blow.

“I can hold you over the panel by your toes, and you can study it upside down,” Ben threatened.

“A shoulder will do just fine, thank you.” The diminutive statue put up his hands, as if to ward off any more blows. “That was payback.”

Ben grunted. “I know it was. But I wouldn’t start any payback if I were you—I control this entire tower.” He flashed a grin at the little statue. He still needed to keep him on side. “All in good fun, little man. Now, how do I summon monsters?”

Sir Gallant sat up straight on Melody’s shoulder, self-importantly as if he were seated on a throne. “If you place your hand on the totem cylinder of the monster you want to summon, you should see it appear as an option on the screen above. You can then summon that monster in the room selected on the screen.”

Ben peered at Sir Gallant, skeptically. “How did you manage all that? Surely you’re too short to operate the controls.”

“I had help from Sir Gallant the Elder.” The statue crossed his arms defensively, as if explaining himself were beneath him.

“I see.” Ben moved on. “So, what happens when I summon a monster in a room? Will it go on a rampage?”

“The monsters are totally dependent on your commands. You have full control over them.”

“Wouldn’t that get exhausting?” Melody asked.

“And hard to manage?” Ben added.

Sir Gallant held up a hand, forestalling questions, and smiled. “Patience.”

Ben almost expected to be called a padawan. Part of him bristled at being given instructions by the tiny, arrogant little knight. But he needed to learn.

“You can give all the monsters generalized commands as well, such as ordering them to attack any enemy on sight. Not as effective of course, but much less demanding.”

“And I take it these commands will also be displayed on the screen?” Ben asked.

“Correct.” Sir Gallant almost looked impressed.

“And what about resources? Will I consume any to summon a monster?”

“You have a control limit. Once you summon your first monster, you will see the limit appearing on the screen.”

“And that will show me how many monsters of each type I can summon?” Ben wanted as much information as he could get now. It wouldn’t do to be asking all these questions in the middle of battle.

“When you prepare to summon a new monster, you will see how much of your control limit it will consume,” Sir Gallant explained.

“How about unsummoning monsters?” Ben asked. “Can I do that?”

“You should be able to, but that will take some practice. Not an easy task to make creatures such as these dormant again. For now I would suggest